Each year, NABP surveyors and inspectors from varied backgrounds meet at our annual Contractor Workshop to discuss recent changes in the regulatory landscape, pharmacy and distributor accreditation program updates, and receive training on the latest industry practices. At our 2026 Contractor Workshop, Gigi Davidson, BS Pharm, DICVP, presented a session on current topics in veterinary pharmacy. She also presented the webinar, What Every Pharmacist Should Know About Prescriptions for Animals. We sat down with Gigi to discuss the topic further in this Q&A session.
Q: Tell us about your background in the industry and about your session today.
I have been practicing veterinary pharmacy exclusively since 1983. I have periodically worked with NABP on veterinary task forces, and I also volunteer for United States Pharmacopeia (USP). As a child, I really wanted to be a veterinarian. Through the course of my first year of college, I decided very quickly that I was really attracted to the medical therapy and pharmacology part of the profession, so I went to pharmacy school instead, but I never lost my passion for veterinary medicine. The day I graduated from college, they were breaking ground on the new teaching hospital at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, and the veterinary school called the pharmacy school to ask if there was anyone from the program who could come volunteer to help them set up a pharmacy. The pharmacy school said there were no faculty who could help, but they recommended me as they knew I was passionate about veterinary medicine. I quit the job I had been offered, and I volunteered at the veterinary teaching hospital for 8 months, which then led to a wonderful career of 36 years.
Because North Carolina State University is an academic institution with a special referral teaching hospital, I was able to do deep dives into all the clinical specialties, which led to networking opportunities with all kinds of regulatory contacts. That is how I became connected with both USP and NABP.
Q: How do you feel NABP will prepare inspectors for their work in the field?
Veterinary compounding is probably the most misunderstood and complex subject for inspectors and compounders. The gap between human compounding and veterinary compounding regulation and guidance is huge; there is very little overlap. What I hope to accomplish through my presentation is to give inspectors a practical framework to go into a facility and leave the employees with a better understanding of veterinary drug regulation. I think NABP inspectors are unique in their gift and ability to educate stakeholders in pharmacy compounding practice. I’m really privileged to be here today to work with NABP inspectors because the responsibility to educate is really important. As a friend of mine says, “If you know better, you do better.” I hope I can pass on my knowledge today.
Q: What should pharmacists consider when determining the appropriateness of commercially available human drug products for veterinary use?
There are so many things to consider.
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The first is that human products are designed for humans: to behave, disperse, and be safe and effective in human biological systems. Every other species is completely different than a human, so you have to think about what that drug will do in the target patient that you are working with. You also have to look at the excipients and binders in that dosage form, not just the active ingredients. Many ingredients that are recognized as safe for humans are not safe at all for animals. The biggest excipient everyone should know is xylitol which can be deadly to dogs. Xylitol is an artificial sweetener that’s in many unsweetened or artificially sweetened products, especially pediatric products. This is critically important for pharmacists to be aware of while evaluating the label for approved products and also while compounding.
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It is also important to be aware of the veterinary products that are out there. Human drugs are all in the orange book, but there’s an equivalent called the green book, which lists every approved veterinary product for animal patients. If a pharmacist is not familiar with animal drugs, they might assume an animal drug name is a transcription error and substitute it with a drug they are more familiar with, causing potential harm to the patient. Pharmacists should familiarize themselves with animal drugs to avoid such mistakes.
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The last thing I will mention is that pharmacists should do a deep dive into regulatory standards and guidances for veterinary medicine, as they are very different than for humans. Because humans eat animals, any drug that goes into an animal is presumed to be going into human food, and that changes everything. Also, laws for veterinary medicine and pharmacy can be very different from state to state.
Q: What resources are available for pharmacists to use when reviewing a veterinary pharmacy prescription?
One of the strongest tools to use is a species-specific veterinary drug formulary. One of the most popular ones that is updated on a real-time basis is Plumb’s Veterinary Drugs. Many retail chains and community pharmacies have subscribed to this so that their pharmacists can have access to veterinary drug information instantly. They also need to be familiar with the green book that I previously mentioned, as well as some of the special categories for veterinary drugs.
Pharmacists also need to make sure that they are collaborating with veterinarians. If they don’t understand something, or they question something, they should contact the veterinarian, not just change the prescription. Overall, veterinarians appreciate being contacted to make sure the prescriptions for their patients are being filled correctly.
The last thing that I would advise for anyone who provides care for non-human patients is to join both veterinary pharmacy organizations: American College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ACVP) and the Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists (SVHP). Both organizations have a very long history of education and support for pharmacists who are taking care of animal patients.
Q: Can you give us some examples of current issues facing veterinary pharmacy?
There has been a desperate need for veterinary pharmacy to be recognized as a specialty because it is so different from human pharmacy. Because of the specialty knowledge needed, boards of pharmacy need to be able to recognize who is credentialed in this area. Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) recently declared veterinary pharmacy as a specialty, which will launch educational opportunities. Historically, there has been a lack of veterinary pharmacy education in schools and colleges of pharmacy because the certification was not recognized except for those veterinary hospital pharmacists certified in the International College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ICVP). Pharmacists will still need more educational opportunities to be practice-ready for animal patients. Surveys indicate at least 77% of the pharmacists who participated routinely fill prescriptions for animal patients, so all pharmacists need this education.
Another issue is the concept of One Health medicine, recognizing that the health of people is closely tied to the health of animals. Veterinary pharmacists are the perfect bridge between animal and human medicine, and antimicrobial stewardship is a huge part of that. Zoonotic diseases, meaning diseases that transfer between humans and animals, are very important for pharmacists to be familiar with. Veterinary pharmacists can work with all sides of the health care triad: veterinarians, physicians, and patients. A lot of collaboration and communication is needed there.
I will mention again the complexity of the regulatory environment. There is not much overlap between human and veterinary regulation. As the rights and responsibilities of non-humans become a bigger issue, there may be some changes to create more overlap in the laws and regulations in terms of providing drugs and therapy for those patients.
Gigi Davidson is the chief executive officer of VetPharm Consulting and former pharmacy director at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Davidson is a veterinary pharmacy leader with more than 40 years of experience. Her work has focused on the safety, stability, and efficacy of compounded therapies in non-human species, and is currently leading efforts to establish veterinary pharmacy as a recognized pharmacy specialty. Davidson has served as president of the Society of Veterinary Hospital Pharmacists and the American College of Veterinary Pharmacists (ACVP), and represents ACVP on the American Pharmacists Association House of Delegates, advocating for recognition of animals as patients. She chaired the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Compounding Expert Committee from 2010 to 2020, and in 2015, became the first female and first veterinary recipient of USP’s Beal Award. In 2025, she received the University of North Carolina (UNC) Distinguished Alumna Award for her contributions to the pharmacy profession. Davidson graduated from the UNC and is a diplomate of the International College of Veterinary Pharmacy.
